The honeymoon phase didn’t last long. As soon as they returned from their trip to France, John started working at the Huntington Auction House. He became a busy commuter, tasked with expanding the market within the family business. His job was to leverage the Huntington family’s extensive network to attract art collectors and new wealthy clients. Mrs. Huntington also had a nine-to-six schedule, but she never shared a car with John. She maintained her authority as the head of the family business. Meanwhile, Liyan spent her days at the estate, sipping tea, watering flowers, and aimlessly wandering around, living the life of a wealthy idler.

　　Unlike the opulent reception rooms, the kitchen at Huntington Manor was quite down-to-earth. The walls were a practical light gray, the cabinets a natural wood color, and the island in the middle was the size of a ping-pong table. There was a circular burn mark on the countertop, evidence of a hot pot that had once been placed there. In contrast to Chinese chefs, who could handle everything with a single knife, British kitchens were like laboratories, with different knives for fish, meat, chicken, leafy greens, onions, and even butter. There was also a scale for precisely measuring flour and spices.

　　Early one morning, Liyan went into town. She had pre-ordered live fish, shrimp, and fresh vegetables a week earlier from the Central Market in Oxford and was now going to pick them up. She planned to use the Huntington Manor kitchen to cook a Chinese meal and had asked Viola to assist her. However, when she arrived at the kitchen with bags of ingredients, the housekeeper, Nanny, blocked her way.

　　“Miss Liyan, you shouldn’t be in the kitchen. This is where the servants work. If you need anything, you can instruct the staff. They will take care of it.”

　　Liyan smiled sweetly. “I want to cook today. I’m making Chinese food, which I’m afraid they don’t know how to prepare.” She took a step around Nanny.

　　Nanny quickly stepped to block her again. “Madam didn’t mention having Chinese food for dinner tonight.”

　　“Well, it will be a surprise then.”

　　“Huntington Manor doesn’t need surprises. We need order and protocol,” Nanny said firmly.

　　“Please, Nanny, just this once?” Viola pleaded.

　　Nanny stood her ground. “You have no place to comment on kitchen matters. Your job is to clean rooms and wash clothes. Miss Liyan, we have professional chefs here. If you cook, you’re taking their jobs. Do you think that’s appropriate?”

　　Liyan was left speechless by Nanny's strictness. She led Viola out of the kitchen.

　　“Look at these things with heads and bones. Are these suitable for respectable people to eat?” Nanny said disdainfully as she dumped the live fish and shrimp that Liyan had bought into the trash.

　　Liyan missed the fast-paced life at Merton College, where she was too busy to indulge in idle thoughts or wallow in unhappiness. At the estate, she enjoyed a high-quality material life, with nothing lacking in terms of food, clothing, or comfort, but she was utterly bored. The days dragged on, and the only solace she found was in waiting for John to come home and listening to his stories about the company. However, John’s job involved talking non-stop all day to persuade clients to invest in art. By the time he got home, he was too tired to share anything new and just wanted some quiet time alone.

　　Initially, Liyan tried to deceive herself, thinking, “Some people spend their whole lives trying to reach Rome, and I got there right after graduation.” But as time went on, she couldn’t sit still. As a Ph.D. graduate from Oxford University, was her ultimate goal to become a caged canary? Moreover, being the lady of Huntington Manor wasn’t easy. Everything she ate, used, and enjoyed was provided by the Huntington family. Even Nanny, the housekeeper, openly looked down on her. The servants, eager to curry favor with Nanny, who was Mrs. Huntington’s confidante, began to treat Liyan with the same disdain, finding in her an outlet for their long-lost sense of superiority.

　　Taking off her earrings and undoing her pearl necklace, Liyan sighed at the glittering jewelry. When John walked into the bedroom after his shower, she looked him in the eye and said seriously, “I want to get a job.”

　　“We just got back from our honeymoon. Take some time to rest at home. Once I’m settled at work, I’ll find you something suitable.”

　　“Home is too boring. Nanny manages everything so well that I have nothing to do.”

　　“That’s Nanny’s job! You’re supposed to enjoy yourself at home. Let the servants handle the chores.”

　　“But I don’t want to be a parasite.”

　　“You’re not a parasite. You’re an excellent graduate of Merton.” John placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed her forehead. “You’re getting more beautiful every day.”

　　Liyan, with her makeup freshly removed, looked pale. John’s sudden compliment was just to stop her from continuing the conversation.

　　Seeing her sulking, John took a jewelry box out of his briefcase and placed an emerald necklace around her neck. “Do you like it?”

　　“Yes,” Liyan said with a fleeting smile. “But I still want to work.”

　　John silenced her with a passionate kiss, lifting her into his arms and carrying her to the bed. His fingers caressed her flushed cheeks, trailed down her slender neck, and deftly unbuttoned her clothes. Overcome with desire, Liyan responded to his touch, and they lost themselves in each other’s embrace. Afterward, a satisfied John played with Liyan’s tousled hair and whispered, “Was that good?”

　　John’s question snapped Liyan out of her post-coital haze. She despised herself for knowing that every time she mentioned wanting to work, John would distract her with kisses, embraces, and lovemaking, and yet she always succumbed. Just two months into their marriage, this emerald necklace was the third piece of jewelry John had carefully selected to appease her.

　　Liyan knew John’s tactics all too well. Mrs. Huntington, on the other hand, despised John’s roundabout methods. She was already dissatisfied with Liyan and what frustrated her even more was her inability to express this due to the carefully crafted image of a benevolent person she had to maintain. She couldn’t let people say that the Huntington Auction House only hired Black and Middle Eastern people for appearances, but she also couldn’t tolerate a Chinese daughter-in-law. The Huntington family’s lineage was thin by John’s generation, and she hoped for a swift expansion of the family to enjoy some family happiness amidst her heavy workload. Although she wasn’t pleased that the third generation wouldn’t be purely Anglo-Saxon, what irked her more was that Liyan hadn’t shown any signs of pregnancy yet.

　　At breakfast with the whole family, Mrs. Huntington said, "You two should start thinking about having a child now."

　　“That’s our own business,” John replied.

　　Seeing Liyan staying silent, Mrs. Huntington continued, “Liyan, are you afraid having a child will affect your chances of finding a job? I waited until the twins were in middle school before I took over the Huntington Auction House. Raising children first won’t hurt your career.”

　　John stepped in to defend Liyan, “Mom, let’s just let things happen naturally.”

　　Liyan softly added, “I want to have a job first.”

　　Mrs. Huntington scoffed, “Are you implying we can’t afford to support you? Your primary duty right now is to have a child, not work.” Mrs. Huntington sensed that beneath Liyan’s gentle exterior lay a strong-willed woman who wouldn’t be easily controlled. But she also knew that motherhood changes women. After having children, women become more willing to compromise, to sacrifice for the sake of their family. Mrs. Huntington knew this well because she had lived through it herself.

　　Liyan had a foreboding feeling that she was about to become a resentful wife trapped in a wealthy family.

　　“Liyan, come look at the gift I brought you!” John called out excitedly as he entered the garden after work.

　　Liyan walked into the garden with a sullen expression. John opened a large box tied with a butterfly bow, and an adorable corgi tumbled out. The dog was dressed in a traditional Chinese silk vest embroidered with gold threads forming the character for “fortune.” Having been cooped up in the box for too long, the corgi eagerly scampered around the garden. John handed Liyan a piece of jerky. “Feed him,” he said.

　　Smelling the enticing meat, the corgi abandoned the hydrangea it had been nibbling and trotted back to Liyan on its short legs. The corgi panted and looked up at Liyan with pleading eyes, fixated on the jerky in her hand. Liyan tossed the jerky to the corgi, and it devoured the treat happily.

　　“Isn't George adorable? He'll keep you company during the day so you won't feel lonely,” John said, confident he had found a way to cheer Liyan up.

　　The thought of being pampered and idle, raising children and dogs, seemed to pave the path from losing her job to losing her ability to work altogether. Sooner or later, she would end up as dependent as this little dog. She covered her face with her hands and began to sob. “Your mom wants me to raise a child, and you want me to raise a dog.”

　　“Why are you crying? I spent a long time picking out this dog at the pet store,” John said, frustrated that his efforts to please her were unappreciated. “Why are you so hard to please these days?”

　　That night, seeing Liyan still looking depressed, John tried to catch her off guard by carrying her to bed, intending to use his usual tactic.

　　“Don’t touch me,” Liyan said, resisting.

　　Mistaking her resistance for a game, John enthusiastically pressed himself against her.

　　“I have my period,” Liyan said firmly, pushing him away.

　　Feeling deflated, John reluctantly removed his hand from her breast, resting his face on his hand and watching her. Liyan turned her back to him, giving him nothing but her cold shoulder. For seven days, she refused his advances.

　　Realizing Liyan wasn’t going to be easily placated this time, John finally conceded, “I promise, I’ll let you go back to work.”